NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Chiropterotriton mosaueri (Woodall, 1941)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The cave splayfoot salamander (Chiropterotriton mosaueri) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to Mexico, specifically in the Sierra Madre Oriental pine–oak forests of the northern region of Hidalgo, Mexico. The species was thought to be extinct for over 70 years since its first observation and a study of five salamanders made by Robert Livingston and Harold T. Woodall in 1937. In 2010, this species was spotted for the first time since its 1941 description by Dr. Sean Rovito who identified two individuals during his search for other lost amphibian species. When preserved in alcohol they found the specimens had an overall dark brown coloration with a light tan underbelly. Features of interest were their webbed "spatulate" feet, number of costal grooves (12–13) and tails which were slightly longer in length than the head and body combined. Their proportionally longer limbs, shorter heads, and large quantity of vomerine teeth set them apart from other species of Chiropterotriton.
Wikipedia contributors, Cave splayfoot salamander; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T15:41:29.491675+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Chiropterotriton mosaueri (Woodall, 1941)
- Name authority
- (Woodall, 1941)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Caudata
- Family
- Plethodontidae
- Genus
- Chiropterotriton
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAmphibia
- orderCaudata
- familyPlethodontidae Gray, 1850
- subfamilyHemidactyliinae Hallowell, 1856
- genusChiropterotriton Taylor, 1944
- speciesChiropterotriton mosaueri (Woodall, 1941)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Chiropterotriton. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Chiropterotriton mosauri (Woodall, 1941) (Woodall, 1941) | synonym |
| Oedipus mosaueri Woodall, 1941 Woodall, 1941 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=208439 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5Y6M5. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.